Emma Potter; Going to War

94: Disguises

The shock of losing Mad-Eye hung over the house in the daysthat followed;I kept expecting to see him stumping inthrough the back door like the other Order members, who passedin and out to relay news.

 Harry felt that nothing but action wouldassuage his feelings of guilt and grief and that he ought to set out onhis mission to find and destroy Horcruxes as soon as possible. 

"Well, you can't do anything about the" — Ron mouthed theword Horcruxes — "till you're seventeen. You've still got the Traceon you. And we can plan here as well as anywhere, can't we? Or,"he dropped his voice to a whisper, "d'you reckon you already knowwhere the You-Know-Whats are?" 

"No," Harry admitted.

 "I think Hermione's been doing a bit of research," said Ron. "Shesaid she was saving it for when you got here. Are you coming?" Ron directed this question to me.

I shook my head, absent-mindedly. "No, I'm going back to Hogwarts. I need to."

"How are you going there anyway?" asked Harry, pulling the book I was reading away from me so I could pay attention. "There'll be tight security."

"Yes, I know." I nodded. "But apparently there is a secret passageway leading to the Room of Requirement. Order sources found it out. Me and Dray need to into the bar, and take the passage way and Ginny will meet us in the room every day to tell us what's happening, she'll tell Zoe too. And then--well, we'll see. Besides, the Trace'll break on the thirty-first. "That means you only need to stay here four days. Then you can —" 

"Five days," Ron corrected me firmly. "We've got to stay for thewedding. They'll kill us if we miss it." 

I understood "they" to mean Fleur and Mrs. Weasley. 

"It's one extra day," said Ron, when Harry looked mutinous. 

"Don't they realize how important — ?"

 " 'Course they don't," said Ron. "They haven't got a clue. And nowyou mention it, I wanted to talk to you about that."

 Ron glanced toward the door into the hall to check that Mrs.Weasley was not returning yet, then leaned in closer to Harry and me."Mum's been trying to get it out of Hermione and me. Whatwe're off to do. She'll try you both next, so brace yourself. Dad andLupin've both asked as well, but when we said Dumbledore told younot to tell anyone except us, they dropped it. Not Mum, though.She's determined."

 Ron's prediction came true within hours. Shortly before lunch,Mrs. Weasley detached Harry and me from the others by asking us to helpidentify a lone man's sock that she thought might have come outof one of our rucksacks. Once she had us cornered in the tiny scullery offthe kitchen, she started. 

"Ron and Hermione seem to think that the three of you are dropping out of Hogwarts," she began in a light, casual tone. 

"Oh," said Harry. "Well, yeah. We are."

 The mangle turned of its own accord in a corner, wringing outwhat looked like one of Mr. Weasley's vests. 

"And you--" she turned to me "--your not returning to Hogwarts to finish your schooling?"

"No." I agreed.

"May I ask why you are abandoning your education?" said Mrs.Weasley. 

"Well, Dumbledore left us . . . stuff to do," mumbled Harry."Ron and Hermione know about it, and they want to come too. Emma, apparently, needs to go back to Hogwarts."

 "What sort of 'stuff'?" 

"I'm sorry, I can't —"

 "Well, frankly, I think Arthur and I have a right to know, andI'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Granger would agree!" said Mrs. Weasley.